What if modern politics is failing for the same reason bad parenting fails?

In this episode of Meyerside Chats, Evan Meyer sits down with political psychologist Lura Forcum, President of the Independence Center, to explore a powerful and uncomfortable truth: you can have control, or you can have a relationship—but not both.

Using insights from psychology, public policy, and real-world governance, this conversation breaks down much of the deeper issues behind our polarization.

You’ll learn:
- Why reactance explains voter backlash and polarization
- How political control mirrors ineffective parenting
- Why trust matters more than power in a healthy democracy
- How identity politics shuts down problem-solving
- Why independent voters and “politically homeless” Americans are ignored
- How unfixed problems become politically valuable

If you’re tired of outrage politics and want a deeper, more psychologically grounded way to understand what’s breaking democracy—and how to fix it—this episode is for you.

🎙 Guest: Lura Forcum
President, Independence Center
Political Psychology • Civic Trust • Independent Voters
🌐 https://www.independencecenter.org

🎧 Meyerside Chats features long-form conversations with thinkers, builders, and leaders working to make politics and institutions function better.

⏱ Timestamps / Chapters

00:00 – Why this conversation matters
01:15 – Four years of Meyerside Chats & polarization
03:10 – Why good intentions create bad policy
05:40 – Reactance: why forcing people backfires
08:10 – COVID, control, and behavioral resistance
11:05 – Politics like parenting explained
14:20 – Control vs relationship in democracy
17:30 – Why trust matters more than authority
20:45 – Identity vs belief in politics
24:00 – Why nuance disappeared
27:15 – The myth of party alignment
30:10 – Urban vs rural political blind spots
33:00 – Tribal instincts and dehumanization
36:15 – When conflict replaces competition
39:10 – Why parties avoid solving problems
41:50 – The politically homeless voter
45:30 – How independents threaten power
48:15 – Local government as the fix
51:00 – What a healthier democracy looks like
54:00 – Final thoughts & where to find Lura

Support the show

About Evan Meyer

Tech entrepreneur and civic leader - he founded mygovtools.org, a platform to drive government efficiency, constituent representation, and civic engagement; BeautifyEarth.com, a platform accelerating urban beautification through art; and its sister nonprofit, transforming schools in underserved areas. He also co-founded RideAmigos.com, a platform that optimizes commuter travel globally. Previously, he served as District Director for the California State Senate and led many civic initiatives in Santa Monica. Through seminars and his podcast Meyerside Chats, Evan inspires civic engagement, innovation, and cultural growth.
He loves the outdoors, is a master of creative projects, is an avid muralist and musician, and finds the world fascinating in every regard.

Ever wonder who actually shapes our elections — the candidates, the parties, or the consultants behind the scenes?

In this episode of Meyerside Chats, Evan Meyer sits down with Eva Posner, founder of Evinco Strategies, a full-service Democratic consulting firm helping first-time and underrepresented candidates run and win all over the country. From county assessor races to million-dollar campaigns, Eva has seen how the political industrial complex really works — and where it’s quietly warping our democracy.

We dive into negative campaigning, ballot guide language, why California can be “performatively progressive,” and how local politics (the stuff that actually touches your life) gets overshadowed by presidential horse races.

🎧 What we cover:

– How Sandy Hook pushed Eva from journalism into campaigns and political consulting
– Why Sandy Hook pushed her to work on the “fixing” side of politics
– What the political industrial complex looks like from the inside
– Why California can be “performatively progressive”
– Why she only works with Democratic & left-leaning causes — and still battles the cognitive dissonance of performing her work in this industry
–How consultants, vendors, and “percentage deals” shape strategy and messaging
–The surprising power (and manipulation) inside voter information pamphlets
– Why local offices matter more to your daily life than the president ever will
– How negative campaigning works and where she draws ethical lines
– Why local offices matter far more to your daily life than the presidential race
– The surprising ways voters are misinformed (or underinformed)
– How to run for office without losing your integrity
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📌 Chapters

00:00 – Intro – Who is Eva Posner and why this conversation matters
02:00 – From political journalism to campaigns – Sandy Hook, motherhood, and changing careers
06:25 – Starting Evinco Strategies – Why she went out on her own & what “full-service” really means
08:10 – Living red & blue – Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, California, Virginia and what they actually have in common
12:00 – Shared values vs different approaches – Safety, climate, and why voters who disagree aren’t stupid
13:10 – Defining the Political Industrial Complex – How profit, vendors, and kickbacks steer campaigns
18:50 – Cognitive dissonance & doing this work – “Am I part of the problem?”
21:00 – Writing the voter pamphlet to win – What’s really going into those ballots you get in the mail
25:00 – Where’s the line on negative campaigning? – What’s fair game and what’s off-limits
30:30 – Nonpartisan races, labels, and missing information – Why she thinks every candidate’s party should be on the ballot
35:40 – Propaganda, algorithms & broken civic education – Why we can’t even agree on the color of the sky

Support the show

About Evan Meyer

Tech entrepreneur and civic leader - he founded mygovtools.org, a platform to drive government efficiency, constituent representation, and civic engagement; BeautifyEarth.com, a platform accelerating urban beautification through art; and its sister nonprofit, transforming schools in underserved areas. He also co-founded RideAmigos.com, a platform that optimizes commuter travel globally. Previously, he served as District Director for the California State Senate and led many civic initiatives in Santa Monica. Through seminars and his podcast Meyerside Chats, Evan inspires civic engagement, innovation, and cultural growth.
He loves the outdoors, is a master of creative projects, is an avid muralist and musician, and finds the world fascinating in every regard.

Guest: Crom Carmichael – investor in 60+ startups, host of From Our Generation, and creator of Giants of Political Thought

In this episode, Evan Meyer and Crom dig into why healthcare in America costs what it does — and what could truly fix it. They unpack how price transparency, Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), and market-driven competition could bring down costs by up to 70%, and why innovation is inherently destructive to old, inefficient systems.

Along the way, Crom explains the absurd incentives in today’s insurance system (like getting billed $6,600 for a $1,200 colonoscopy), shares a skin cancer story that reveals why doctors are paid per visit rather than per solution, and walks through how WWII-era policies still shape healthcare pricing today.

They also explore:

Why innovation needs intellectual property protection

The economics of creative destruction

What Uber, taxi medallions, and Waymo teach us about breaking regulatory capture

The beauty of nuance in civic debate and political philosophy

⏱️ Chapters

00:00 – Intro & Crom’s background (60+ startups; political philosophy roots)
02:30 – Nobel Prize & innovation: why IP protection matters
04:50 – The government shutdown analogy & innovation’s “destruction”
13:54 – The $1,200 vs $6,600 colonoscopy and broken incentives
15:35 – HSAs + price transparency could drop outpatient costs 70%
19:00 – WWII wage controls created employer-based insurance
29:50 – Taxi medallions → Uber → Waymo: breaking captured markets
39:00 – Political philosophy: from Plato to today’s “nuance gap”
42:00 – MDsave & paying cash for procedures: mdsave.com

45:00 – Crom’s personal health routine & Soltea

47:30 – Wrap-up: Giants of Political Thought, Rousseau to Locke

🔗 Links Mentioned

🎙️ Meyerside Chats podcast: https://meyersidechats.buzzsprout.com

📚 Giants of Political Thought: https://giantsofpoliticalthought.com

💸 Cash-price care examples: https://www.mdsave.com

🧃 Soltea (green tea supplement): https://soltea.com

🧠 Evan Meyer: https://evanmeyer.io
| LinkedIn

💬 About Crom Carmichael

Crom is an entrepreneur, investor, and lifelong student of political philosophy. Through Giants of Political Thought, he curates the works of history’s most influential thinkers—from Locke and Adam Smith to Marx and Wollstonecraft—making them accessible through audio and streaming.

📬 About Meyerside Chats

Meyerside Chats features civic innovators, leaders, and thinkers exploring how we fix broken systems with transparency, innovation, and empathy.

🔔 Subscribe for conversations that cut through partisanship to find practical, human solutions.

Support the show

About Evan Meyer

Tech entrepreneur and civic leader - he founded mygovtools.org, a platform to drive government efficiency, constituent representation, and civic engagement; BeautifyEarth.com, a platform accelerating urban beautification through art; and its sister nonprofit, transforming schools in underserved areas. He also co-founded RideAmigos.com, a platform that optimizes commuter travel globally. Previously, he served as District Director for the California State Senate and led many civic initiatives in Santa Monica. Through seminars and his podcast Meyerside Chats, Evan inspires civic engagement, innovation, and cultural growth.
He loves the outdoors, is a master of creative projects, is an avid muralist and musician, and finds the world fascinating in every regard.

Support the show

About Evan Meyer

Tech entrepreneur and civic leader - he founded mygovtools.org, a platform to drive government efficiency, constituent representation, and civic engagement; BeautifyEarth.com, a platform accelerating urban beautification through art; and its sister nonprofit, transforming schools in underserved areas. He also co-founded RideAmigos.com, a platform that optimizes commuter travel globally. Previously, he served as District Director for the California State Senate and led many civic initiatives in Santa Monica. Through seminars and his podcast Meyerside Chats, Evan inspires civic engagement, innovation, and cultural growth.
He loves the outdoors, is a master of creative projects, is an avid muralist and musician, and finds the world fascinating in every regard.

How do bills really get passed — or stopped — in California? 🏛️
In this episode of Meyerside Chats, Evan Meyer sits down with California State Senator Roger Niello (6th District, Vice Chair of the Senate Budget Committee) to discuss:

- The real process behind passing legislation — and why some bills never see a vote.
- The Title & Summary Bill and efforts to reduce bias in ballot measures.
- California’s budget challenges and the push for fiscal responsibility.
- The role of transparency, bipartisanship, and civic engagement in a supermajority state.
- How artificial intelligence could change government operations.

Whether you’re passionate about politics, governance, or understanding how laws are made, this conversation offers a rare insider’s perspective on the power and process shaping California.

📌 Chapters:
0:00 Intro
3:00 How Bills Live or Die in Sacramento
10:00 Bias in Ballot Summaries
18:00 Civic Education & Engagement
19:00 California’s Budget Challenges
30:00 AI in the Legislature
34:00 Closing Thoughts

Support the show

About Evan Meyer

Tech entrepreneur and civic leader - he founded mygovtools.org, a platform to drive government efficiency, constituent representation, and civic engagement; BeautifyEarth.com, a platform accelerating urban beautification through art; and its sister nonprofit, transforming schools in underserved areas. He also co-founded RideAmigos.com, a platform that optimizes commuter travel globally. Previously, he served as District Director for the California State Senate and led many civic initiatives in Santa Monica. Through seminars and his podcast Meyerside Chats, Evan inspires civic engagement, innovation, and cultural growth.
He loves the outdoors, is a master of creative projects, is an avid muralist and musician, and finds the world fascinating in every regard.

In this episode of Meyerside Chats, I sit down with Vijay Luthra—a UK-based public service reformist, ex-councilmember, and management consultant—to explore the future of government, the crisis in public trust, and why systems must evolve to meet 21st-century challenges. We dive into small “p” vs. big “P” politics, the transformation of the NHS, trade unions, and lessons from Brexit for the U.S.

🔔 Subscribe for more conversations about government innovation, local leadership, and global civic lessons.

⏱️ Timestamps / Chapters:

00:00 | 🎙️ Introduction & Welcome
01:00 | Vijay’s Unusual Journey from Roadie to Public Servant
03:00 | Big "P" vs Small "p" Politics Explained
06:00 | The Decline of Public Service Ethos
08:00 | Founding Siva: Reforming Public Services from Outside
10:00 | Entrepreneurship & Bureaucracy: Where They Meet
13:00 | Local Government, Risk, and Innovation Constraints
15:00 | The Power of Local Engagement in the UK & US
17:00 | NHS Transformation: The Biggest Reform in a Generation
20:00 | Virtual Wards & Healthcare Innovation
23:00 | Navigating Trade Unions in the UK
26:00 | Cultural Differences in UK vs US Labor Dynamics
28:00 | Class Systems, Military, and Social Stratification
30:00 | Vijay’s Wish: Undoing Brexit’s Damage
32:00 | Lessons for the U.S.: Division, Democracy & Unity
34:00 | 🔚 Final Thoughts & Closing Remarks

Support the show

About Evan Meyer

Tech entrepreneur and civic leader - he founded mygovtools.org, a platform to drive government efficiency, constituent representation, and civic engagement; BeautifyEarth.com, a platform accelerating urban beautification through art; and its sister nonprofit, transforming schools in underserved areas. He also co-founded RideAmigos.com, a platform that optimizes commuter travel globally. Previously, he served as District Director for the California State Senate and led many civic initiatives in Santa Monica. Through seminars and his podcast Meyerside Chats, Evan inspires civic engagement, innovation, and cultural growth.
He loves the outdoors, is a master of creative projects, is an avid muralist and musician, and finds the world fascinating in every regard.

Support the show

About Evan Meyer

Tech entrepreneur and civic leader - he founded mygovtools.org, a platform to drive government efficiency, constituent representation, and civic engagement; BeautifyEarth.com, a platform accelerating urban beautification through art; and its sister nonprofit, transforming schools in underserved areas. He also co-founded RideAmigos.com, a platform that optimizes commuter travel globally. Previously, he served as District Director for the California State Senate and led many civic initiatives in Santa Monica. Through seminars and his podcast Meyerside Chats, Evan inspires civic engagement, innovation, and cultural growth.
He loves the outdoors, is a master of creative projects, is an avid muralist and musician, and finds the world fascinating in every regard.

Support the show

About Evan Meyer

Tech entrepreneur and civic leader - he founded mygovtools.org, a platform to drive government efficiency, constituent representation, and civic engagement; BeautifyEarth.com, a platform accelerating urban beautification through art; and its sister nonprofit, transforming schools in underserved areas. He also co-founded RideAmigos.com, a platform that optimizes commuter travel globally. Previously, he served as District Director for the California State Senate and led many civic initiatives in Santa Monica. Through seminars and his podcast Meyerside Chats, Evan inspires civic engagement, innovation, and cultural growth.
He loves the outdoors, is a master of creative projects, is an avid muralist and musician, and finds the world fascinating in every regard.